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BC's door-to-door solar sales ban: what it means if someone knocked on your door

Since August 1, 2026, a business can't sell you a solar panel system through a door-to-door sale in BC. If your contract came from a prohibited sale, Consumer Protection BC says the contract and any credit agreement tied to it are not binding on you.

Last checked November 12, 2026. Rates and program rules change, so confirm them with the source before you sign.

This page explains the published rules in plain language. It is general information and it is not legal advice. Consumer Protection BC enforces these rules and can tell you how they apply to your contract.

What does the ban cover?

The change is part of amendments to BC's Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act that took effect on August 1, 2026. Consumer Protection BC's guidance lists the products and services that can no longer be sold through door-to-door sales:

solar panel systems
furnaces, heat pumps and air conditioners
water heaters and water treatment devices
home security systems
duct cleaning services
energy or window audits

Parts and related services for those products are covered too. The regulation names both solar photovoltaic and solar thermal panel systems.

A door-to-door sale, in the guidance, is typically a direct sale worth more than $50 that is made in person at your home or somewhere other than the seller's permanent place of business.

A second rule sits beside the ban. A business can't offer, arrange or extend credit as part of any direct sales contract. You can still pay with your own credit card. The seller can't set up the loan.

The rules apply to contracts signed or renewed on or after August 1, 2026. The date of the contract is what counts.

When is a home visit still allowed?

You will often see this described as a ban on unsolicited sales. The published rules don't use that word. They prohibit door-to-door sales of the listed products and then set out exceptions.

The main exception is an invitation. As the regulation words it, the ban does not apply when you invite the supplier to your home to make the contract, and one of two things came first: you started the conversation with the business, or the business first reached you some way other than a visit to your door or a phone call. A quote request you sent through an installer's website is an example of the first.

Sales at temporary locations such as trade shows are also outside the ban. Consumer Protection BC notes that other consumer contract rules may still apply where an exception does.

What happened	What the published rules say
A salesperson knocked uninvited and you signed for solar on or after August 1, 2026	Solar panel systems can't be sold this way. Consumer Protection BC says the contract and any related credit agreement are not binding on you.
You asked an installer for a quote and they came to your home	The invitation exception can apply. Other consumer contract rules may still apply.
You signed at a home show booth	Temporary locations such as trade shows are an exception to the ban.
The seller arranged a loan during a home visit	Sellers can't arrange credit as part of a direct sales contract.
You signed before August 1, 2026	The new rules apply to contracts signed or renewed from that date. Ask Consumer Protection BC which rules cover an older contract.

What if you already signed at the door?

Consumer Protection BC's advice to consumers is that you don't have to follow through with a contract for a banned product sold at your door, and that financing connected to the sale doesn't apply.

Some practical steps help whichever way it goes:

Keep every page you were given, including any loan paperwork.
Write down the date of the visit and how the contact started. Who reached out first is what the invitation exception turns on.
Put anything you send the business in writing and keep a copy.
Use Consumer Protection BC's complaint assistant. The office can review what happened and explain your options.

We can check the numbers in a quote. Whether a contract binds you is a question for Consumer Protection BC or a lawyer.

What rules apply to a home sale that is allowed?

Consumer Protection BC says a contract over $50 signed during a home sales visit generally has to follow the direct sales rules. In its words to consumers, those include:

The business must give you a copy of the contract when you sign.
You generally have 10 days to cancel for any reason, counted from when you receive that copy.
Cancellation must be in writing. Use a method that proves the business received it.
The deposit is generally limited to $100 or 10% of the total price, whichever is less.

The deposit rule is worth a moment of arithmetic. On a $25,000 system, 10% is $2,500. The lesser of $2,500 and $100 is $100. If a contract signed at your kitchen table asks for thousands of dollars that day, ask Consumer Protection BC about it before you pay.

How does this connect to your quote and the rebate?

A sale that closes in one visit skips steps that protect you. The BC Hydro rebate requires approval of your application before any equipment is bought. A contract signed on the spot has not waited for that.

It also leaves no time to compare, and BC Hydro suggests getting at least three quotes. How to read a solar quote in BC shows which numbers to test.

None of this says solar is a bad purchase, or that an installer who visits your home is breaking a rule. A visit you invited can be entirely proper. The rules are about how the sale starts and how the money is arranged.

Who enforces the rules?

The provincial government writes the law. Consumer Protection BC administers and enforces it. The government's August 2026 news release describes the aim as stopping high-pressure door-to-door sales of costly household products and the predatory loan terms that often came with them.

Common questions

Are door-to-door solar sales illegal in BC?

Since August 1, 2026, solar panel systems are among the household products that cannot be sold through door-to-door sales in BC. There are exceptions, including some visits you invited and sales at temporary locations such as trade shows.

I signed a solar contract at my door. Am I stuck with it?

Consumer Protection BC says a contract from a prohibited door-to-door sale is not binding on the consumer, and neither is a related credit agreement. Contact Consumer Protection BC to confirm how the rules apply to your contract.

Can an installer still come to my home to give me a quote?

Yes, if you invited them and you started the contact, or the business first reached you some way other than at your door or by phone. Other consumer contract rules may still apply to the sale.

Can a salesperson arrange financing during a home visit?

No. Businesses cannot offer or arrange credit as part of a direct sales contract. You can still choose to pay with your own credit card.

Want your own quote checked?

The free calculator runs the rough numbers in your browser from four figures on your quote and your hydro bill. The sample report shows what a written review looks like.

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Solar Second Look is a document review. We check a quote against published prices and program rules. This guide is general information and does not replace legal, financial or engineering advice. For questions about a contract, contact Consumer Protection BC.